


Dancing with the Muses

by shavynel



Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: All girls all the time, Canon Universe, Dancing, Gen, Girls Dancing, Post-Canon, Van Rijn's Muses
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-02
Updated: 2019-01-02
Packaged: 2019-10-03 01:05:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17274206
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shavynel/pseuds/shavynel
Summary: Contasia has unlost herself, and Tinka wastes no time getting her sister to play musician in a plan to ensnare Agatha, Violetta, and Zeetha in dance!





	Dancing with the Muses

**Author's Note:**

  * For [watermelon668](https://archiveofourown.org/users/watermelon668/gifts).



> For Spark Exchange 2018. Happy New Years, Xena!
> 
> From the prompt "something with the muses, something with agatha/zeetha/violetta having Girl Time"
> 
> And thanks to [circumference](https://archiveofourown.org/users/circumference) for being first beta and [marchpane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/marchpane) for the last-minute beta.

Tinka whips open the door of the study with a "Hah! Caught you!" She grabs Contasia's arm before the bow can come in contact with the violin. "I've got a ballroom to show you." And that's all the warning Contasia gets before Tinka drags her out of the study and down the hall.

"I don't see why _I_ would care about a ballroom," Contasia says.

"Trust me. You will love this one." But it doesn't really matter. Tinka isn't giving the musician any choice about it.

Contasia had unlost herself about a week ago, and had already settled into the steady pattern of showing up in the study at evening, playing away the night, drawing in the Sparks and other residents of Sturmhalten, and ensnaring them with peaceful music. Or lively. Or frantic. Really, whatever the mood the Sparks give off.

Tinka, however, can _not_ abide another evening given to settees and blackboards. She stops before intricately carved oaken doors.

"Here we are," she announces, throwing the heavy doors open with the ease of drawing curtains, and shoves Contasia all the way to the middle of the room.

It's not the _grand_ ballroom. That place is gilded in gold with fleur-de-lis motifs, but the acoustics Tinka suspects won't win over Contasia. The junior ballroom they're in is a simpler room with less decor, but beautifully vaulted ceilings.

Contasia takes one look around the room, nods in evaluation, and raises her instrument for the real test. The notes come out pure, even _better_ than the study Contasia had taken a favor to, and they both know it. Tinka manages to stand still for two full phrases before she starts chasing the melody, joining the music sweeping around the room. When she pirouettes and finds Contasia drifting in her wake, she flits over and launches a scissoring jump off of Contasia's shoulder, dashing off again before the disapproving look can reach her.

It doesn't take long before one of the inevitable inhabitants find them. Agatha stands in the doorway, probably having come straight from the laboratory below them given the state of her overalls. All Tinka sees, however, is a new partner, and throws gratuitous looks Agatha's way, arms sweeping and welcoming in an invitation to dance, but Agatha just leans against the doorframe, content to watch them.

The music changes, crescendoing with newly added triplets. _Shall we end this song and start anew?_ it asks. Tinka is glad _someone_ here can understand her and turns a gratified dip of her head in acceptance to the plan before leaping off toward her target, music bounding beside her.

Together, the Muses end as one before Agatha, Tinka sustained on her toes alongside Contasia's final chord.

"Marvelous!" Agatha claps.

Though Tinka might usually wait out the applause before landing and curtseying, this isn't a performance, and she has a higher purpose than entertaining right now. She drops to the flat of her feet, and Contasia takes it as a cue to start into to start into the first lazy notes of a waltz. Tinka sways toward Agatha until the lady finally gets her cue.

Agatha bows and offers a hand. "May I have the next dance."

"I would be delighted!" Tinka flows through the quickest curtsey of acceptance, unwilling to spend any moment more dallying when they can instead be partnered.

Agatha proposes a lead position, and Tinka slips into her arms. The steps start off gentle enough, a couple natural turns and reverse turns, but it's clear from the framing that the Lady Heterodyne has had some training before.

Little trills from the calliope set atop Contasia's head join the violin, and Agatha leads them into a sashaying sequence, almost skipping amongst the grander notes before chaining into more sophisticated patterns, which Contasia translates into more and more complex harmonies.

"Do you follow as well, my Lady?" Tinka asks.

"I do, yes."

And rather than end the next turn, Agatha holds her footing an extra beat with the slowing of music, surrendering lead with a switch of her arms. A bare split after, Contasia bursts forth with music, and Tinka glides them across the room.

The disciplined timing eases. It's unclear if it's Tinka who breaks it first or Contasia, but the two Muses drift between rhythms, taking Agatha along with them. Even as a follow, Agatha's steps are sure, though never pre-emptive. It's rare Tinka encounters a dancer who can take either part with such ease.

Agatha closes her eyes and settles even further into Tinka's arms. Tinka smiles, delighting in the trust granted to her.

It's then that Contasia throws in an unexpected counter melody. Tinka twirls them around so that she can see what her sister is about. Contasia jerks her head upward where Tinka catches sight of Violetta descending. She has strapped to her feet stilts that Tinka calculates will bring the Smoke Knight to match a Muse's height, and metallic gloves that mimic Tinka's own arms.

Tinka checks to see if Agatha's eyes are still closed. They are. She attempts a twirl, and Agatha follows blind.

Oh! It's such a betrayal of trust, and yet she can see how much Contasia and Violetta want to pull the switch off. Tinka relents, bringing Agatha around to meet the Smoke Knight as she touches down. The hand off is simple enough: a twirl and a catch. Agatha's still none the wiser as the two spin off with Contasia singing a whirlwind around them.

It's too much spinning. Tinka frets. There's an extra lean in Agatha's posture that says she's close to off balanced, and her feet aren't quite making it to the right place to take the next turn properly.

Oh. It's _not_ dancing.

Tinka makes a quick survey of the ceiling because it's one thing to trade away her partner and another thing entirely to let Agatha fall to an attack. And this sequence is one she taught herself to the first Smoke Knights to steal away balance and manipulate a mark into place on the ballroom floor. Or, in calmer times, to really show off the partner's dress, highlighting poor construction from cutting along the wrong grain or skimping on the underskirt or failing to let the dress hang long enough because sometimes, it's enough to simply disgrace someone a little. But Agatha's not wearing a dress, which means ...

The sound of laughter brings Tinka's attention back. Agatha's eyes are open now, the egregious spinning has stopped, and the Lady Heterodyne is _laughing_.

Contasia elbows Tinka in a gentle chide for her absurd worry. "See?"

Tinka shoves back hard enough that she thinks the music will falter. But it doesn't. Contasia just gives her a mocking smile to which Tinka responds with crossed arms.

The pretense of annoyance falls away, though, in favor of watching Violetta and Agatha enter a section of _good_ dancing with proper form and everything. The Valois training is even more obvious now that she's looking for it, though Violetta has switched to employing skills taught to win friends rather than defeat enemies. Tinka is about to steal the two bells hanging from Contasia's belt when suddenly the stilts and gloves go flying.

"Catch that!" Contasia hisses, frequency calculated to not carry into the music, but Tinka, knowing the command was coming, is already dashing to grab them before they can interrupt the music by clattering gracelessly to the floor.

By the time she's settled the discarded props (quietly) on the floor, Violetta has engaged Agatha in yet another less than absolutely friendly sequence. Tinka gauges Agatha's heartbeat, and coupled with the fact Contasia's holding the music's pace back just a little, Tinka figures Agatha is unlikely to pass out on the floor. Probably.

Tinka _does_ finally steal an instrument from Contasia, but opts for the tambourine instead, adding little shakes of music as she sits back into her heels to watch the rest of the dance. Violetta twists, and Agatha flares, their movements sharp to staccato notes. They execute the pattern in harmony, and it's actually pleasant to watch. It _requires_ good form, just a lot more stamina than most (non-Valois-trained) dancers have.

Violetta ends with a dramatic dip. Agatha is sweating, and seems quite willing to let Violetta hold the ending pose for a good long while as she recovers.

Tinka applauds loudly, but, even with a tambourine, loses to the whistle across the room.

" _That_ was _feisty_!"

There's a surge in Tinka's circuits upon seeing the green-haired Skifandrian.

"Thank you?" Violetta hauls Agatha up to drape over her shoulder, and Tinka makes a mental note to talk to the Smoke Knight about accepting compliments more graciously and with less hesitation.

"Lovely sequence," Agatha reassures. "I just --"

"Need more training!" Zeetha grins, beeping Agatha on the nose.

Agatha wilts a little, but Tinka is certain the Skifandrian training is what got her through the sequence at all.

There are, however, more important plans to put into play. Tinka had merely meant to get Contasia to the ballroom that she might assess the Sparks in their dancing ability, but this chance was too perfect to pass up.

"Do you dance at all, Miss Zeetha?" Tinka inquires. It's a question she has been hoping to ask for as long as the Skifandrian has been in Sturmhalten, to know if Skifandrians dance as they do in Europa.

"Sure I do!" And before Tinka can ask for a demonstration, Zeetha points to the drum set into Contasia's back. "Can you give me a beat. Like..." Zeetha slaps herself on her chest and thighs in what Tinka ascertains is a five-against-four timing. No rhythm can trip Contasia up, but it's unlike anything Tinka has danced to. "Yes, good! And a little," Zeetha changes her rhythm to something lighter, almost a melody despite it being just her hands. This Contasia weaves in with the violin.

"Okay, great, and Agatha, you can do this --" Agatha slumps off Violetta's shoulder to copy Zeetha's motions, more hands smacking to a, "Bum pa-da-da cha-cha-cha. Bum pa-da-da cha-cha-cha. And Violetta, mm, got daggers?"

"Well, duh." Two materialize in her hand.

"Excellent! Just clang --"

"You want me to _clang_ them together?"

"Yeah, sure. For music."

"We have a tambourine." Violetta points, and Tinka holds up the instrument in question with a jingle, but Zeetha just shakes her head.

"Traditionally, we would use swords, so daggers are going to have to do. There should be a little extra right after the cha-cha-cha. Like bum pa-da-da cha-cha-cha ching!"

"That'll misalign the edges," Violetta moans, but dutifully clinks them together anyway. Each repeat brings a little more enthusiasm until finally, Zeetha is nodding along.

"Great!" She backs up a couple of steps in time, beat in her knee, and launches into her own dance. Half the time, she's in the air, doing an impossible number of turns, or legs outstretched, or flipping, or jumping over their heads (though no one flinches which says a lot about how often Zeetha must be jumping over their heads), or some combination of it all. The other half is no less impressive. She spins while keeping her head off center, arms windmilling around elaborately. She spins on her knees across the ground, and from the ground, she somehow jumps back into the air, lunge, and flip over her toes somehow in a way that is both the most lighthearted and threatening move at the same time.

Tinka isn't even upset that she doesn't have a part to play in the music making because this means she gets to spend her full attention on Zeetha.

And still, it all ends too soon as Zeetha makes a final leap in the air, arms and legs arched back before landing in a low lunge, one leg out and one arm up.

Tinka breaks out into wild applause as do the others, but she has the added benefit of still holding a tambourine as she jumps up and down. "Oh! Miss Zeetha! You _must_ teach me."

Zeetha supplies a toothy grin in response. "Alright. Here's the first step." And she drops to the ground on her knees and hops up into a lunge.

"That's the first move?" Agatha asks, shooting Tinka a sympathetic look. It's a question Tinka has herself. She's not sure her joints can do that.

"Yup!"

"Alright," she says anyway, and makes her best attempt. She flows to her knees, and the flows back up into a lunge.

"Just like that! But faster this time."

This time, Tinka permits gravity a bit more influence, but her movements still feel like floating as she falls to the ground. The upward flow has no change from before.

"It's the pistons!" Agatha shouts, insight replacing the frown in her eyebrow as she pats herself down, presumably for tools. "I can rewire them for now to have a burst of speed, overcharge the compaction, though we'll need to restore the configuration once Zeetha's through … if you actually want to walk anywhere normally rather than leap everywhere. And maybe later with more parts, I'll be able to add a secondary set! The space will be tight, though, but we could give you twitch --"

Violetta stops Agatha with a squeeze to her shoulder before a true rant can set in. Looking down, Agatha finds her hands are still empty, and Tinka shares in her disappointment. Agatha is not deterred, though, and attempts a heel turn except Violetta's grip is stronger, as is her insistent, "Just watch one more time, okay? Go on!"

Tinka's less than convinced, but tries again. Still, she floats to the ground, but this time, with a little extra force, she pops straight into the lunge. "There was a ... " She's not quite sure how to explain it.

Agatha gives a puzzled look. "That's not how science --"

"Looks great!" Violetta cuts in.

Zeetha questions none of it. "Excellent. Alright. Now maybe a jump? Here's a simple one." She jumps straight into the air with legs folded up all the way to her head.

"Simple?" Violetta challenges.

"Well, conceptually."

"More like needlessly flourishy."

"It's more fun that way." Tinka can't find fault in that argument, and nor, it appears can anyone else.

"I'll try it," Tinka says. She bends and does reroute some power to her legs as she jumps up, but the torque to bring her legs up is going to be -- easy?

Tinka lands with some hesitation having just performed the jump. "I'm certain I felt a --"

Zeetha claps her hands together. "Ooo, this is wonderful!" And proceeds to show off more moves, each of which Tinka manages flawlessly, though with confusion.

Contasia provides them a constant five-against-four drumbeat as they practice, Violetta endless encouragement.

Agatha's the only other one who looks bothered by the implications of this. They both know the physics aren't adding up with reality.

"Alright! And then you can string them together like ---" Zetha flashes through ground spin, leap, lunge, flipped lunge, leap spin, fast spin, jump from the ground into a spin, straddle jump, piked jump, final flip.

"Oh what, no!" Violetta exclaims. They all turn to the Smoke Knight. "I mean, yeah, I'd love to see it?"

Zeetha shrugs, and goes through it again. It's long enough that everyone picks up their part in producing the definitely not Europan music. "Got it?"

"Yes, Miss Zeetha!" Tinka says. She waits for Contasia to give the opening beats and then launches into it. With the longer sequence, there's no mistaking the purple blur beside her the entire time.

"HAH!" Agatha shouts once Tinka lands the final flip, pointing at the fistful of purple caught in Zeetha's hand.

"That does explain the unnatural forces," Tinka muses, ecstatic both to have gotten through the dance _and_ to finally understand how physics can be broken.

Contasia nods in agreement. In her hands are Violetta's daggers used for the musical _clings_. Tinka is not at all surprised to find her sister muse in on the trick.

"Yeah, well," Violetta stares down the accusing finger. "I guess that means you better get to work on those pistons then."

Agatha and Tinka both beam.

**Author's Note:**

> Inspiration for Zeetha's dance comes largely from [Georgian dance](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=howJvsCtKbw), some African dance I did once and can't remember the name of :( and wushu.


End file.
